Empires (VNV Nation album)

1999 studio album by VNV Nation

Empires

Studio album by

VNV Nation

Released| 25 October 1999 (EU)
16 May 2000 (US)
Recorded| August–September 1999
Studio| Polaris Studios, Hoxton, London
Genre| Futurepop, electro-industrial
Length| 50:58
Label| Dependent/Metropolis
VNV Nation chronology
| Praise the Fallen
(1998)  | Empires
(1999)  | Futureperfect
(2002)

|
|

Singles from  Empires

1. "Darkangel"
Released: 28 June 1999
2. "Standing"
Released: 3 April 2000

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
Allmusic| [1]
Almost Cool| (7.5/10)[2]
Metal.de| [3]
Release Magazine| [4]

Empires is the third studio album by the alternative electronic band VNV Nation. It was released in 1999 in the EU and 2000 in the United States jointly under the Metropolis and Dependent labels. The album combines trance, synthpop, and electronic body music (EBM).

"Darkangel" was released as a single on 28 June prior to the album, and "Standing" became a single, and was also released as part of the Burning Empires EP in 2000.

The album was ranked #1 on the German Alternative Charts (DAC) 1999 albums chart,[5] while "Darkangel" ranked #15 on the DAC Singles chart that same year.[6] The U.S. release of Empires peaked at #6 on the CMJ RPM Charts.[7]

## Background and composition

[edit]

In a retrospective on the band's website, Ronan Harris has described the creation of the album as "unforgettable" and "intense";[8] as he was still only doing music in his spare time, he would spend time in the studio after work hours and on weekends.[8] He also described the experience as "deeply emotional":[8]

> "Empires" was written at a time in my life when events of the previous years had left me feeling lost and lacking direction. It was an artificial light to guide me. When I say to someone that this album was my salvation, I don't mean that lightly. The track Arclight gets its symbolic title from the first use of electricity in lighthouses, where carbon arc lighting created the most intensely bright artificial light yet seen.[8]

## Track listing

[edit]

No.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Firstlight"| 2:10
2.| "Kingdom"| 5:51
3.| "Rubicon"| 6:20
4.| "Saviour"| 6:59
5.| "Fragments"| 5:02
6.| "Distant (Rubicon II)"| 3:15
7.| "Standing"| 5:40
8.| "Legion"| 5:11
9.| "Darkangel"| 5:28
10.| "Arclight"| 5:00

## Equipment

[edit]

The following equipment was used to compose and produce the album:[8]

* Ensoniq ASR-10
* ARP 2600
* SCI Pro One
* Oberheim OB-1
* Access Virus
* E-mu Proteus 2000
* Roland JV-1080
* Roland M-OC1
* Korg Trinity Rack

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Empires - VNV Nation | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
2. ^ "VNV Nation – Empires – almost cool music review". Almostcool.org. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
3. ^ Sagt, fenris. "VNV Nation - Empires Review • metal.de". Metal.de. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
4. ^ "VNV Nation: Empires – Release On Line review". Releasemagazine.net. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
5. ^ "DAC Top 50 Albums 1999". Trendcharts oHG. AMC Alster Musik Consulting GmbH. 2000. Archived from the original on 18 April 2001. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
6. ^ "DAC Top 50 Singles 1999". Trendcharts oHG. AMC Alster Musik Consulting GmbH. 2000. Archived from the original on 10 February 2001. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
7. ^ Comer, M. Tye (7 August 2000). "RPM" (PDF). CMJ New Music Report. 63 (677). New York, NY: College Media, Inc.: 39. ISSN 0890-0795. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
8. ^ a b c d e "Empires - Releases | VNV NATION". vnvnation.com.

## External links

[edit]

* Official VNV Nation website
* AMG Review

* v
* t
* e

VNV Nation

* Ronan Harris
* Mike Wimer
* David Gerlach
* Chris Roberts

Studio albums|

* Advance and Follow (1995)
* Praise the Fallen (1998)
* Empires (1999)
* Futureperfect (2002)
* Matter + Form (2005)
* Judgement (2007)
* Of Faith, Power and Glory (2009)
* Automatic (2011)
* Transnational (2013)
* Resonance: Music For Orchestra Vol. 1 (2015)
* Noire (2018)
* Electric Sun (2023)
* Construct (2025)
* Destruct (2025)

Live albums/DVD|

* Pastperfect (2004)
* Reformation 1 (2009)

Singles and EPs|

* Burning Empires EP
* "Standing"
* "Genesis"
* "Beloved"
* "Honour 2003"
* "When Is the Future?"

Related articles|

* Discography
* Bruderschaft

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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